Introducing: Lauran Hibberd

One of the Unsigned Music Awards’ previous nominees for Best Unsigned Female Artist and a darling of BBC Introducing Solent, the Isle of Wight’s Lauran Hibberd is creating waves with a joyous and melodic sound. A main stage set at Bestival last summer is arguably the jewel in her very promising crown, still being fashioned with every release she puts out.

Having unveiled over the past few months three catchy singles, featured by a stream of blogs and her admirers on BBC Radio, Lauran Hibberd has settled into a sound that's harmonically very simple – leaving plenty of room for her infectious vocal melodies and occasional instrumental riffs. Her voice is pure and punchy, but without frills; her lyrics are defiant in capturing the essence of coming of age. Musically, there’s an indie feel that hints at 00s bands like The Fratellis and The Strokes, as well as the brighter sounds of The Cure. On "Eliza", there's something that sounds like a mandolin chiming in the background, adding a bright texture to the grungier sound of the drums and guitar.

On her latest single, "Fun Like This", released through Diamond Club Records in March, she pushes the rougher dimensions of her sound to the fore. The song sees her distil a sense of disillusionment at the 20-somethings’ default idea of 'having a good time'. As the guy at a party who prefers sharing London Underground trivia and talking about literature to dancing to overly loud music and taking banned substances, I feel I can relate to it fairly well.

Listen to "Fun Like This" below and find out more about Lauran Hibberd on Facebook: